Columbia University probes possible cyberattack after major website outage disrupts systems

Columbia University is looking into whether a major system outage on Tuesday was caused by a cyberattack, Bloomberg reported, citing sources.

The university said in a statement that it’s working with law enforcement after experiencing an outage affecting its IT systems on its Upper West Side campus and that the school is working to restore services “as quickly as possible.” Columbia’s academic platforms, administrative systems and communication tools have been affected by the outage.

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A law enforcement official said the school experienced an access control attack. The school doesn’t have any indication so far of ransomware, or breached or stolen data, Bloomberg reported citing a source.

Its main website was down earlier in the day, reporting an unknown error message.

High-profile cyberattacks have spread across industries, including higher education, forcing at least one college to close permanently. In 2023, at least 30 colleges and universities were notified that personal information of students and employees could have been exposed from a cyberattack exploiting file-transfer software.

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Columbia University is already grappling with significant challenges after the Trump administration withdrew $400 million in federal funding, accusing the institution of failing to adequately address antisemitism during campus protests. The university has seen two presidents resign within a year and is currently in talks with the federal government to restore the lost funding.

An email from Columbia University Information Technology Tuesday morning told school affiliates to expect intermittent access to online services, including platforms that require authentication of university ID codes.

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